NFC East Fantasy Football Review

NFC East

What Went Right?

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders had stellar seasons. Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels were both hovering around top-five fantasy quarterback territory while leading their respective teams on deep playoff runs. Saquon Barkley had one of the greatest seasons by a running back in league history and finished first in a myriad of rushing statistics as well as scrimmage yards. He carried a lot of fantasy managers to their league championships this season. A.J. Brown still put up over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns despite a down year for the passing offense and only playing 13 games.

Commanders tight end Zach Ertz had his best season in five years and finished as a top-10 fantasy tight end. Terry McLaurin was finally rewarded after years of carrying this Washington offense on his back. He had consistently great quarterback play that helped him score a career-high 13 touchdowns and top out as the WR7 in fantasy. Both teams made the playoffs and even faced each other in the NFC Championship Game, so if any fantasy owners are thinking about drafting the stars of these teams, it is best to do so in the early rounds next season.

What Went Wrong?

There are plenty of miscues in this division. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury once again which crippled fantasy owners that know he has top-10 fantasy potential when he stays on the field. Unfortunately, this dampened the surprising play of running back Rico Dowdle, who finished as RB23 and probably would have been higher if he had any supporting cast around him. Dallas’ offensive line dealt with some injuries and personnel changes that left their running back room struggling to get into a rhythm. Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb tied for fifth in the league in drops and was visibly frustrated by the team’s lack of offense and explosive plays.

The Giants also struggled from poor quarterback and offensive line play, which resulted in the great rookie seasons of Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. falling on deaf ears. Nabers finished as WR6 in fantasy and averaged 18.24 fantasy points per game while Tracy Jr. averaged 10.72 points per game behind an awful offensive line. Both players dealt with some injuries this season, which bogged down this offense even more. In order for the Giants to get the most out of them, the front office will have to build this team up. They desperately need a quarterback, offensive line, and possibly a solid WR2 to pair with Nabers. That will not happen overnight, but the groundwork must be laid down now to ensure a future for both the franchise and its young stars.

Positional Fantasy Rankings for Last Season

Position	Team	Rank	Explanation
QB	Commanders	1	Jayden Daniels had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. In terms of total fantasy points, he was QB5. His backup was Marcus Mariota, who finished as QB45. He compiled 4,459 total yards and 31 total touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions. Washington’s offense was nothing to write home about, as the only other category they finished first in for this division was at tight end. Daniels used his legs often and finished first in the league in rushing yards on scrambles with 584. That was 167 more yards than Lamar Jackson. He ran for 891 yards on 148 carries, which was good for six yards per carry and finished tied for third among quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns with six. He averaged 19.5 completions on 28.2 attempts this season, which is good for a 69% completion percentage. This dual-threat ability helped him rake in fantasy points all season. In his last four weeks, he averaged 23.5 fantasy points and would have been more if he played more than the first half of Week 18. Simply put, Daniels is already a must-start QB1 in fantasy and will be among the first at the position to come off the board in drafts next season.
QB	Eagles	2	Jalen Hurts has been one of the most dynamic fantasy quarterbacks for the last three seasons. In 2022, he finished as QB3 and in 2023, finished as QB2. This year, he finished as QB8 with 315.12 total points. If he did not get knocked out of the game early in the first quarter of Week 16 and missed the final two weeks, those numbers would have been higher. His backups, Tanner McKee and Kenny Pickett, finished as QB49 and QB50. He dipped to QB8 for two reasons, missing two weeks with a concussion and Saquon Barkley having one of the greatest seasons for a RB in NFL history. Hurts was not asked to pass that much in the offense this year, but still racked up combined yards that made him a must-start in fantasy. He had the third-most rushing yards for a QB and finished first in rushing TDs among QBs for the fourth-straight year. He is the only quarterback with double-digit rushing TDs every season since becoming a full-time starter in 2021. Combine that with a 69% completion percentage this season and it equates to an elite quarterback performance overall. The lack of passing is what dropped him just below Jayden Daniels on this list, but that does not make him any less dangerous. He averaged more fantasy points than Daniels this year. Much like Daniels, Hurts is a must-start QB1 every year.
QB	Cowboys	3	Dak Prescott only played in eight games this year while his backup, Cooper Rush, appeared in 12. They finished at QB32 and QB33, respectively. They were nearly identical in passing yards and touchdowns. In eight games, Prescott averaged 14.57 fantasy points. Rush averaged 9.13 in 12. Prescott suffered his second major injury in three seasons and ended up at the lowest ranking in his career. Rush, mainly by default, finished with the highest ranking of his career. Prescott has MVP talent when healthy, but is risky to draft in fantasy next season. He finished as QB6 in ‘21 and QB3 in ‘23, but was QB18 in ‘22. Rush is just a backup, but is in a higher tier than others in the league. In order for Prescott to be worth drafting next year, health is the biggest key. However, Dallas still has a better QB situation than the Giants.
QB	Giants	4	The Daniel Jones era for Big Blue ended in 2024. In fact, it ended before the season was over. Jones was released in November and signed with the Minnesota Vikings immediately after clearing waivers. In his time in New York, Jones only had one top-10 fantasy season. In 2022, he finished as QB9 in terms of total points. He finished as QB15, QB21, QB44, and QB28 in ‘20, ‘21, ‘23, and last season, respectively. His backups, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito, finished as QB39 and QB58 this year. Jones’s best season in 2022 saw him throw just 15 touchdown passes, but rush for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. He totaled 289 fantasy points that season. Overall, the Giants have not had good QB play since Eli Manning retired, but they also have not given their QBs any help since then. None of this year’s QBs were worthy of a start in fantasy and whatever rookie QB they draft probably won’t be worth starting next season either.

Position	Team	Rank	Explanation
RB	Eagles	1	Part of the reason Jalen Hurts did not finish first for QBs in this division was Saquon Barkley. Barkley had one of the greatest seasons for a running back in NFL history. He became only the ninth member for the 2,000-yard rushing club and finished third in MVP voting. In fantasy terms, he finished as RB2 in total points, but was RB1 in average points per game. He took up 69% of the snaps in the backfield for Philly, while backup Kenneth Gainwell took up 26%. However, of that 69%, Barkley rushed 56% of the time, making him an absolute workhorse in the backfield. He was first in the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing yards per game, yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards, and touches. Gainwell compiled 406 total yards and a touchdown with his share of the snap percentage. He could be a nice flex option in a pinch that can come off the waiver wire late in the season. In the end, Barkley is going to fly off draft boards in an instant next season, so get him if possible.
RB	Cowboys	2	Dallas’ big offseason acquisition was bringing back beloved veteran Ezekiel Elliott. He compiled 226 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 12 receptions, and 69 receiving yards and a grand total of 57.5 fantasy points. He ended up as RB63 and is on the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad currently. They tried to pair him with veteran running back Dalvin Cook, which would have been a great duo if this was 2019. The big surprise, and why the Cowboys are second on this list, was the emergence of Rico Dowdle. He finished as RB23 with a total of 197.8 points despite being in an extremely lackluster offense. He averaged 12.36 fantasy points per game this year and would have done better if Dallas was not devoid of talent around him. Nobody predicted a 1,000-yard season for Dowdle, but he delivered. The only issue was scoring, as he only had five total touchdowns. Nevertheless, he has high RB2 upside so he will most likely be a steal in later rounds of fantasy drafts next season.
RB	Commanders	3	The most intriguing stat about Washington’s backfield is that Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler essentially split the snap percentage 50/50. Robinson Jr. played in 14 games and took 43% of the snaps while Ekeler played in 12 games and took 48%. There were quite a few plays where both backs were on the field as well. However, due to this split, Robinson Jr. and Ekeler finished as RB29 and RB34, respectively. Robinson Jr. rushed for 799 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 159 yards on the season, but lost two fumbles. Ekeler rushed for 367 yards and four touchdowns and caught 35 passes for 366 yards. They were not bad, but they were not legitimate threats in either fantasy or reality in 2024. Robinson Jr. is a low-end RB2 at best and Ekeler is a risky flex play going into next season, so they will probably be available late in drafts or on the waiver wire.
RB	Giants	4	The Giants, much like the Cowboys, had an emerging running back this year. Rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. finished as RB26 in fantasy with a total of 182.3 points. He rushed for 839 yards and five touchdowns while catching 38 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown, but lost two fumbles. It’s impressive to amass over 1,100 yards in an offense where the only bright spots were him and WR Malik Nabers. His teammate in that Giants backfield was veteran Devin Singletary. Singletary totaled 437 rushing yards and four touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 119 yards, but lost two fumbles as well. Ball security was a big issue for both men and they dealt with some nagging injuries to boot. A second season of Tracy Jr. might be just what the Giants need and he could be worth it in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. He has RB2 potential, while Singletary is nothing more than a low-end flex play.

Position	Team	Rank	Explanation
WR	Giants	1	As crazy as it may seem, the Giants had the best wide receiver room in this division. Malik Nabers finished as WR6 and was third in the league in receptions with 109. He had 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in just 15 games with abysmal quarterback play. His second in command was Wan’Dale Robinson, who finished as WR36. Robinson caught 93 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns on the season and totaled 182.7 fantasy points. Darius Slayton was their WR3 and finished as WR73 overall. He caught 39 passes for 573 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Their snap percentage was identical, as Nabers had 79%, Robinson had 76%, and Slayton had 78%. They spent a lot of time on the field together so they each got opportunities to shine. However, Nabers had a much higher target percentage and touchdown percentage on those snaps than his teammates. He was the biggest driving force on that Giants offense. He will go early in fantasy drafts next year as a solid WR1 option, but his teammates are nothing more than decent flex plays.
WR	Cowboys	2	For all of Dallas’ struggles, they actually don’t have the worst receiving room on this list. CeeDee Lamb finished as WR8 and hauled in 101 passes for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 70 yards and had a two-point conversion. However, much like the Commanders, the drop off between him and the second-best receiver on the team is substantial. Jalen Tolbert finished as WR45 and caught 49 passes for 610 yards and seven touchdowns. His touchdown rate was four percent higher than Lamb’s. Dallas’s WR3 was Kavontae Turpin, who caught 31 passes for 420 yards, two touchdowns, had two return touchdowns, and 92 rushing yards. He finished as WR77. Each receiver played an important role on this team with bad QB play. The big issue with this receiving room were some bad drops from Lamb, who finished tied for fifth in that category with seven. The receivers behind him also didn’t perform as well as the Giants did. However, Lamb is another quality WR1 that should fly off boards early, especially if Prescott is fully healthy next season.
WR	Commanders	3	Despite Jayden Daniels lighting the league on fire in 2024, his receivers did not help much. Outside of Terry McLaurin, who finished as WR7 and had the second-most touchdown grabs among receivers, the rest of the room was inconsistent at best. The next closest receiver on his team in fantasy was Olamide Zaccheaus, who finished as WR70. Zaccheaus had 45 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns. After him was Noah Brown, who finished as WR87. Brown hauled in 35 passes for 453 yards and a touchdown. A good part of this decline after McLaurin comes from the fact that Daniels used his legs a lot and made TE Zach Ertz his second-favorite target. McLaurin’s snap percentage was 80%, compared to just 51% and 42% for Brown and Zaccheaus, respectively. McLaurin’s target percentage and touchdown percentage was 23% and 46%, respectively. He outpaced every eligible receiver on the team by a good margin, rendering much of Washington’s receiving ineffective. Because of this, the team is second in these positional rankings. McLaurin will be another WR1 that comes off the board in earlier rounds, just like Nabers on the Giants.
WR	Eagles	4	Unfortunately, despite having the most talent in their receiving room in this division, the Eagles finished last in these rankings. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been one of the best WR duos in the league for the last three seasons. This year, however, things changed slightly. Philadelphia became more run-heavy, running the ball 56% of the time compared to 46% in 2023. Brown and Smith had much lower snap percentages due to injury and Brown, in particular, had a much lower target percentage than 2023. Jalen Hurts also missed 2 games due to a concussion and had the lowest passing numbers of his career as a starter. They didn’t have a strong WR3 either, as Jahan Dotson finished as WR118 with just 19 receptions for 216 yards and 13 rushing yards. In total, it was a down year in the passing game in Philadelphia, but they still made a Super Bowl appearance despite that. Brown and Smith had a rougher season than normal, but they are still a high-end WR1 and high-end WR2, respectively.

Position	Team	Rank	Explanation
TE	Commanders	1	Zach Ertz had a career resurgence of sorts. He finished as TE7 and caught 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. The next closest tight end in this division was ranked as TE25. Ertz outpaced the rest of this division by a mile, leading the entire unit in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He put up his best numbers in five years and showed that he can still hang with the younger talent at 34 years old. He said that he would not retire after having a bounce back season, so he could be a sneaky good TE1 on fantasy boards next season.
TE	Cowboys	2	Jake Ferguson finished as TE25 this year. He was one of two tight ends in the top 30 to not record a receiving touchdown, but he caught 59 passes for 494 yards. His tight end teammate, Luke Schoonmaker, finished as TE43 and caught 27 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. They were not a bad duo despite poor QB play. Ferguson should fare better with the return of Dak Prescott next season, but is still nothing more than a TE2 at best until further notice.
TE	Eagles	3	Philadelphia and Dallas were essentially dead even in terms of the production for their tight end room, but the edge goes to the Cowboys because Dallas Goedert’s health was an issue once again this year. He played in just 10 games and recorded 42 receptions for 496 yards and two touchdowns. He ended up as TE27 in fantasy. Grant Calcaterra stepped in during his absence and had 24 receptions, 298 yards, and a touchdown. They had more total yardage and touchdowns than the Cowboys’ tight ends, but Goedert’s health was a roadblock. For fantasy owners, an injured player is a death sentence. Goedert has TE1 fantasy potential when healthy, but until then, he is just a middling TE2.
TE	Giants	4	Sadly, the Giants had a tight end room that finished exactly where they did in the division: dead last. Now, Theo Johnson wasn’t necessarily bad, but he had no quarterback or team around him. He finished as TE37 and caught 29 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown. They were the only tight end room in this division that didn’t have a player cross double digits on the target percentage. Most of that is due to the poor offense. In short, Johnson should only be taken off the waiver wire next season if your team is in a pinch.

Looking Into the Crystal Ball

This division has a chance to be super competitive for the next 5-7 years between the Eagles and Commanders. The birds have arguably the best roster in football while the Commanders, who many thought would not win anything in 2024, won 12 games and played this Eagles team in the NFC Championship game. Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts could be one of the best quarterback rivalries in the league, especially with two teams that have so much history. Both rosters feature bonafide WR1s, good TEs, and two of the most explosive quarterbacks in the league, which makes for great fantasy production. The Cowboys and Giants, on the other hand, have a lot of work to do.

Most importantly, both squads need to stay healthy. Dak Prescott needs to stay on the field, which has been a problem in two of the last three seasons. The Giants need a healthier offensive line to protect their quarterbacks. Malik Nabers needs to stay healthy after dealing with a nasty concussion that nagged him for a couple weeks. Both teams dealt with drops, fumbles, and non-competitive play that needs to be addressed as well. Dallas will have a new coach in Brian Schottenheimer next season, so there will be an adjustment period. New York has a couple bright stars in Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr., but they will need a lot more to even come close to competing in this division.

There will be some changes for the two top dogs in this division next year though. Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will be the new Saints head coach, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Hurts will have his fifth OC in just his fifth year as a full-time starter. It will also be his 10th play caller since he was a freshman at Alabama. With all that inconsistency, he has still proven that he is an elite quarterback. These changes can affect a WR1 like Brown and a great WR2/flex like Smith, but their production has been mostly steady with the changes they have seen over the last three seasons. There is nothing to worry about with Saquon Barkley, as he will likely be the first running back off the board in fantasy drafts next year and build off his historic season.

In Washington’s case, they need to give Daniels a better offensive line, running back room, and defense that is not one of the worst in the league against the pass. As a fast, mobile quarterback, he needs to brace for hits better. He did not take many hits in 2024, but a running quarterback is always susceptible to them when they are out in open space or looking to take off. In the end, the NFC East can become the “NFC Beast” again if they can address their areas of need.

February 13, 2025, 4:04 pm